Joyfulness is one of the crucial subjects in the Bible. Have we ever wondered how much Christmas joy has been described in the Bible? The news related to the birth of Christ is always received with positive messages or songs. We have been studying the first Christmas carols from chapters one and two in the Gospel of Luke. So far, we have explored the music of Mary called the Magnificat and the song of Zechariah, the Benedictus. This morning we will look at the tune of Angels, the Gloria as they are about God’s glory and peace. Unlike the first two melodies, today’s hymn is prepared by celestial beings.

Whether we realize it or not, there are many references to the angels of God in the Bible. Dr. David Jeremiah states, “Angels are mentioned 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament.” I was surprised by the frequent appearance of God’s angels in the Scripture. You may be too. According to the Holy Text, angels are spiritual beings created by God. “For in Him [God] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

Many of us have heard of the two angels called “Michael and Gabriel.” Michael is “the only archangel mentioned by name” in the Bible. Most scholars acknowledge him as “the most prominent of all the angels.” The other angel, Gabriel, is known as “God’s special messenger.” Sharing divine news is one of God’s angels’ primary duties in our lives today. From the first story of Christmas, an angel of the Lord told Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son who would prepare the way for the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. An angel of the Lord appeared to both Mary and Joseph and told each of them that their son would be named Jesus because he would save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). An angel of the Lord also came to visit shepherds working in the field at night and announced the birth of the Savior of the world. “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people…” (Luke 2:10-12). After the resurrection of Christ, an angel of the Lord appeared to the women and said, “He [Jesus] is not here, for He has risen” (Matthew 28:5). On the first Christmas, this Angelic Choir proclaimed God’s joyful message in song: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those on whom his favour rests” (Luke 2:14). It is incredible!

This morning I want us to look at the praise of Angels, learn about some lessons on this song and apply them in our advent journey. This hymn can be divided into two parts. The first section of the lyrics is about God’s glory, and the second is regarding God’s peace.

Firstly, the angels gave “Glory to God in the highest heaven.” I believe they knew what “the baby lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12,16) would do once the child, Jesus, grew up. During His public ministry, Jesus preached the Word of God, taught the Kingdom of God, and healed the sick. At the appointed sacred time, Jesus died on the cross for the sins you and I have committed. On the third day, He rose from the dead and promised resurrected and eternal life to those who repent of our sins and trust Him. The angels foresaw the glory of God revealed through Baby Jesus. “Glory to God in the highest” is the praise we, as Christ’s followers, should be singing not only during the season of Advent but in our daily lives. Think about everything we have. Where have they come from? Of course, we have received some of them with the help of our loved ones. We have also got some or many from our hard work.

Once again, think about the real source of everything we have today. I must confess that the Lord my Creator God is the One who has given me the health, family, friends, ministry, community, food, air, beautiful nature, house, and vehicle that I am enjoying today. God’s provision and protection over my faith journey is the godly root of all my blessings. God wants me to use these gifts to glorify Him. According to the Bible, acknowledging God’s presence in our lives is the beginning of glorifying the Lord. The Psalmist says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” (Psalm 14:1) All of our praise, adoration, and honour belong to God.

Do you remember what the Fallen Angel did to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? Satan approached Adam and Eve by using his favourite weapon: deception. He said to them, “You will not certainly die [even though you eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil]” (Genesis 3:4). After that, the devil made the following false statement: “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). The Fallen Angel tempted Adam and Eve to be like God, in other words, “Glory to Me,” instead of “Glory to God.” How often have we been deceived by the spirit of evil like Adam and Eve? How many times have we brought dishonour to the Holy God? I am aware that the Heavenly angels are often disappointed by the songs coming from this world. Even in the lives of the children of God, with our selfish human nature, we want to be king of our throne and sing to ourselves, “Glory to me!” not “Glory to God in the highest.”

How can we glorify God and restore His glory in our lives? This is a fundamental question to ask ourselves. The angels of the Divine Choir acknowledge that in terms of “both a title and a position, God is in the highest.” As children of the Lord, we have a sacred responsibility to glorify our Mighty and Merciful God, who is the highest in our hearts. Our mission is not only to declare the glory of God but also to live up to the things we have been taught in the Bible. Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). We need to remember that the word “first” here does not refer to “order.” The real purpose for this term is our priority, in other words, whether we have placed God first in our daily lives. Whether studying, working or parenting, our focus is to please God. If we do something for ourselves, sometimes we may want to give up due to some challenges. However, when we do something for the glory of God, we can overcome any obstacles and keep glorifying Him. This attitude is the real and practical way of worshipping God only in our faith journey. Doing our best before the Lord is not a one-time event. It needs to be done continuously and regularly.

In the second portion of the lyrics, angels in the heavenly choir gave the message in the following statement: “on earth peace among those on whom his favour rests” (Luke 2:14). While reflecting on this familiar text for this morning, I learned what needs to be done for us to see the peace of God come to here on earth and within ourselves. The first thing is renewing our hearts by believing in the Mediator, Jesus Christ. He made the bridge between God and fallen human beings. In the book of Genesis, God provided Adam and Eve with everything they needed. They lived in a perfect environment and had happy life. When they disobeyed the word of God, however, they lost peace with Him. When God called them, they hid from Him. They began arguing and blaming one another. The intimate relationship between God and Adam and Eve and the loving fellowship between the two were broken.

If there is no peace today, the problem is not with our Lord but with us. We would be the reason there is no peace in this sin-darkened world. We all need the Mediator who deals with our circumstances. Paul praised the Lord after he put his trust in Christ by saying: “Thanks be to God… since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Our Lord, Jesus paid for our sin by taking our punishment on the cross. We can discover true inner harmony through what the Prince of Peace has done for us.

Second, we need to renew our minds by repentance of sins. Have we ever wept bitterly over a sin like King David? David committed adultery with Bathsheba and even caused her husband to be killed in battle. But when the prophet Nathan rebuked David’s sins, his heart broke. When we look at verses 3 and 4 of Psalm 32, we see the bankruptcy of peace with God. He said, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night, your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer” (Psalm 32: 3-4). After David was pardoned by God, he was able to restore his broken relationship with God. We repeatedly ask God to forgive our sins in the Lord’s Prayer. Having a repentant heart is one vital theme in the Bible.

I have recently been reminded of Apostle Paul’s joy over the church’s repentance in Second Corinthians chapter 7. Paul kept preaching to the Corinth believers to purify themselves from anything that contaminates body and spirit. We can imagine how guilty the believers might have felt about themselves when they heard Paul’s powerful message. Paul wrote to them, “Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it – I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while- yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance… Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:8-12). Spiritual mourning is a great blessing because it leads us to repentance. It helps us to receive God’s forgiveness. Genuine, lasting peace is impossible to “make” without God’s help. The angels tell us that peace can be found because of that baby born in a manger. In this world, we can find peace if everything is going well around us. On the contrary, if we are in trouble, we may lose our peace because of the difficult things we face. In other words, all other peace can be temporary, but God’s peace is perfect. Jesus promises us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” (John 14:27). This peace transcends all understanding; it is something that enables us to rise above the circumstances. When Jesus governs our hearts, we can be at rest to rejoice with God. Since we have peace with God and within ourselves, we can make peace with others.

Many of us have heard stories of the Christmas truce of 1914. “It happened along the western front in World War I. It was an unofficial cessation of warfare, primarily between British and German troops…” This proves that God’s peace can make a difference in our relationships.

Thirdly, we need to share our experiences of God’s peace with others. What the shepherds did after that night was “spread[ing] the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” Do you remember one of the famous lyrics saying, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me”? God’s plan of bringing peace on earth is to change individual hearts and move from changed hearts to unchanged hearts. We are all called to share the heavenly peace of Jesus Christ with those who do not know him. This plan might seem slow, but it is the best way for peace to spread on earth and in people’s hearts.

During this Advent season, our Jesus Christ wants to offer each of us a heavenly peace that cannot be compared to any worldly form. Let us examine our hearts, be changed by the Word of God and have renewed spirits. Let us have real peace with God through Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Let us ask the Prince of Peace to reign in our hearts and the hearts of our families with His peace. Let us also ask the Prince of Peace to use us as peacemakers as we share the gospel of peace with our friends and neighbours.

Like the angels, let us sing to the Lord not only with our lips. but also with all our strength, spirit, and mind. Let us glorify our Merciful and Mighty God in whatever we do and ask the Lord to pour out abundantly His peace upon us, our family, and our community through the Baby Jesus. Amen.

*In this sermon, I have used some thoughts and materials from the various messages based on the text: Luke 2:8-20.